8th Grade – Bill of Rights

What is the purpose of the Bill of Rights? Are they absolute (unlimited)? What are the responsibilities of citizens to ensure the continued protection of these rights?

6th Grade – Trekking Through the Rain Forest

Suppose you were invited to join the Yanomami on a trek. Write a journal entry of your activities and fellings for the first day of the trek. What do you think the Yanomami do if the day’s hunt only provides enough meat for half the group?

Columbus Day

Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492, as an official holiday. The day is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, as Día de la Raza in many countries in the Americas, as Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) in Costa Rica, as Discovery Day in the Bahamas, as Día de la Hispanidad and Fiesta Nacional in Spain, as Día de las Américas (Day of the Americas) in Uruguay and as Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance) in Venezuela. These holidays have been celebrated unofficially since the late 18th century, and officially in various countries since the early 20th century.  The Native Americans of North and South America observe this day as a day of mourning.  There are three main sources of controversy involving Columbus’s interactions with the indigenous people he labeled “Indians”: the use of violence and slavery, the forced conversion of native peoples to Christianity, and the introduction of a host of new diseases that would have dramatic long-term effects on native people in the Americas. Historians have uncovered extensive evidence of the damage wreaked by Columbus and his teams, leading to an outcry over emphasis placed upon studying and celebrating him in schools and public celebrations.  Hero or Villain?  How do you think we should observe Columbus Day?

7th Grade Native American Reservations

After studying the history of Native Americans in Texas, what are your feelings and thoughts about this part of American & Texas History?  After watching 30 Days, “Life on an Indian Reservation”, what are some of the problems facing Native Americans today?  What has been one solution that Indian Nations have been adopting to help solve some of their problems?  What suggestions do you have that could help solve some of the problems facing them today?

6th Grade-”American Culture and Society”

What were some of the things that immigrants felt they had to do to fit in American Society?  Have attitudes changed over time about certain groups?  Give examples.  Which groups in American Society are still struggling to be accepted into mainstream American Society?  Does color, race, ethnicity or religion, affect how people see you? How and should this matter?  What does being American mean to you?

8th Grade: “Religious Intolerance” The story of Anne Hutchinson.

After reading the selection, how do you think you would feel if you were being questioned by these magistrates?

How was your summer?